1stOncology™: Cancer Intelligence Service – Page 13189 – 1stOncology is recognized as a Top 10 Global Pharma Analytic Provider

Rakuten Medical’s ASP-1929 photoimmunotherapy for head and neck cancers to be designated under the Sakigake Designation System for its potential innovativeness and effectiveness

On April 8, 2019 Based on its exclusive license related to photoimmunotherapy, Rakuten Medical Inc., which is developing a cancer therapy to target cancer cells, reported that ASP-1929 received Sakigake designation under the Sakigake Designation System*, which is a Fast Track designation from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare as a treatment for head and neck cancer patients (Press release, Rakuten Aspyrian, APR 8, 2019, View Source [SID1234535068]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

ASP-1929 qualified on all four criteria of the Sakigake Designation System: innovativeness of the product, the severity of the target condition, prominent effectiveness of the treatment, and with a plan to file the initial application first or simultaneously with others in Japan. This designation was referred for Sakigake Designation System based upon the results of analysis of a Phase I trial in Japan and a Phase I/IIa trial in the United States. The results of these studies in comparison to past data of the currently available standard treatments in a group of head and neck cancer patients suggest the potential for improved survival time.

Based on receipt of this designation, Mickey Mikitani, chairman and CEO of Rakuten Medical said, "Every day, we receive messages from many patients waiting for this treatment. To those people, I am delighted to be able to make an announcement today that brings them hope. This is a major step forward toward delivering a new treatment for head and neck cancer patients. We are aiming to get this therapy to as many patients as possible, and as soon as possible, by rigorously following the process established by the Sakigake Designation System."

ASP-1929 received Fast Track designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) in the first quarter of 2018. Under the mission of Rakuten Medical, we will accelerate the development of photoimmunotherapy applying ASP-1929 to cancers of the head and neck.

*The Sakigake Designation System is the Japanese Fast Track designation which started as a national strategy and was announced by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on June 17, 2014. The measures included the creation of this designation system for groundbreaking drugs developed in Japan and identified in the early clinical trial phase as being likely to be remarkably effective. This would offer priority examination that would reduce the length of the approval examination period before commercialization.

Regeneron to Report First Quarter 2019 Financial and Operating Results and Host Conference Call and Webcast on May 7, 2019

On April 8, 2019 Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) reported that it will report its first quarter 2019 financial and operating results on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, before the U.S. financial markets open (Press release, Regeneron, APR 8, 2019, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/regeneron-to-report-first-quarter-2019-financial-and-operating-results-and-host-conference-call-and-webcast-on-may-7-2019-300826362.html [SID1234535060]). The Company will host a conference call and simultaneous webcast at 8:30 AM Eastern Time that day.

Conference Call Information
To access this call, dial (800) 708-4539 (U.S.) or (847) 619-6396 (International). A link to the webcast may be accessed from the ‘Investors and Media’ page of Regeneron’s website at View Source A replay of the conference call and webcast will be archived on the Company’s website and will be available for 30 days.

Sangamo Therapeutics Announces Completion of Public Offering of Common Stock and Exercise in Full of Underwriters’ Option to Purchase Additional Shares

On April 8, 2019 Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO) reported the completion of its previously announced underwritten public offering of 12,650,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $11.50 per share, including 1,650,000 shares sold pursuant to the exercise in full of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares (Press release, Sangamo Therapeutics, APR 8, 2019, View Source [SID1234535059]). All of the shares were sold by Sangamo. Including the option exercise, the aggregate gross proceeds to Sangamo from the offering, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, were approximately $145.5 million.

Sangamo anticipates using the net proceeds from the offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including support for its own and its partnered gene therapy, genome editing, cell therapy and gene regulation product candidates and research programs, its manufacturing facilities and other business development activities.

Cowen and Company, LLC, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and Barclays Capital Inc. acted as joint book-running managers for the offering.

A registration statement relating to the shares was previously filed with and became effective by rule of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The offering was made solely by means of a prospectus. A final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is available on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website located at View Source A copy of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from Cowen and Company, LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, or by telephone at (631) 274-2806; or from Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Department, 375 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10152, or by telephone at (800) 326-5897, or email at [email protected]; or from Barclays Capital Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, Attn: Prospectus Department, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, or by telephone at (888) 603-5847, or by email at [email protected].

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Neurocrine Biosciences Announces Conference Call and Webcast of First Quarter 2019 Financial Results

On April 8, 2019 Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: NBIX) reported that it will report first quarter financial results after the Nasdaq market closes on Monday, April 29, 2019 (Press release, Neurocrine Biosciences, APR 8, 2019, View Source [SID1234535058]). Neurocrine will then host a conference call and webcast to discuss its financial results and provide a Company update that day at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time).

Participants can access the live conference call by dialing 877-876-9173 (US) or 785-424-1667 (International) using the conference ID: NBIX. The webcast can also be accessed on Neurocrine’s website under Investors at www.neurocrine.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website approximately one hour after the conclusion of the event and will be archived for approximately one month.

LSK BioPharma and Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Announce FDA Clearance to Initiate a Phase 3 Clinical Trial in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)

On April 8, 2019 LSK BioPharma (or "LSKB"), a US-based biopharmaceutical firm and Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, Co., Ltd. (SHA:600276, or "Hengrui"), one of the largest and most innovative fully-integrated biopharmaceutical companies based in China, reported that the Companies have received FDA clearance to initiate a clinical trial in the United States in first-line patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), evaluating the safety and efficacy of LSKB’s rivoceranib, a selective VEGFR-2 inhibitor commonly known as apatinib, in combination with Hengrui’s camrelizumab (SHR-1210), a humanized anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody currently under NDA review in China for classic Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (cHL) (Press release, LSK BioPharma, APR 8, 2019, View Source [SID1234535056]).

"We are happy with this important regulatory milestone in our global clinical collaboration," said Dr. Sung Chul Kim, LSKB’s President. "We are enthusiastic to work with Hengrui to hopefully help more HCC patients through development of this combination therapy."

"As one of the leading biopharmaceutical companies in China, Hengrui is committed to developing breakthrough medicines for patients worldwide. This milestone is another step towards our mission. We look forward to working with LSKB to jointly make a difference for HCC patients around the world," said Dr. Piaoyang Sun, Chairman of Hengrui.

Currently, Hengrui is conducting an open-label, single arm multicenter phase 2 study (NCT03463876) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of camrelizumab and apatinib in patients with advanced HCC in China, where Hengrui has received approval of apatinib monotherapy for advanced gastric cancer. At ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2018, it was reported that the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 50.0% and 85.7%, respectively, among 14 evaluated advanced HCC patients treated by camrelizumab in combination with apatinib in an open-label, phase 1 study in China (Xu et al., NCT02942329). In addition, camrelizumab and apatinib combination therapy is also being evaluated by Hengrui for multiple indications including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and gastric cancer (GC) in China.

Based upon earlier studies, it is hypothesized that the combination of rivoceranib and camrelizumab may enhance the immune system, aiding the fight against cancer. In addition to the known anti-angiogenic effects of rivoceranib, it may also enhance camrelizumab’s anti-tumor activity by normalizing tumor vasculature and reversing the tumor suppressive immune microenvironment.

About Rivoceranib (Apatinib)

Rivoceranib, also known as apatinib or Aitan (brand name) in China, is the first successful small-molecule angiogenesis inhibitor in gastric cancer. Rivoceranib is investigational outside of China including in the United States; and safety and efficacy have not been established. It acts by inhibiting angiogenesis, a critical process in cancer growth and proliferation. Specifically, rivoceranib selectively inhibits VEGFR-2 which mediates the primary pathway for tumor-mediated angiogenesis.

Hengrui, who owns the China rights to rivoceranib, received the approval from China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA, formerly known as CFDA) in 2014 to market the drug under the brand name Aitan in China for advanced gastric cancer. LSKB, which holds the global rights (ex-China), has completed enrollment of a global (12 countries including US, Japan, Korea, Italy, Germany, and Russia) phase 3 clinical trial of rivoceranib in advanced or metastatic gastric cancer patients. Rivoceranib (apatinib) is currently listed in 220 clinical studies on www.clinicaltrials.gov with over 20,000 patients enrolled or planned to be enrolled in trials targeting numerous cancers including GC, colorectal cancer (CRC), HCC, NSCLC, esophageal cancer, thyroid cancer, mesothelioma, and neuroendocrine tumors. It has also shown potential to improve outcomes in combination with chemotherapeutics and immunotherapy, as well as for maintenance therapy. LSKB has received notification designating rivoceranib as an orphan medicinal product for the treatment of gastric cancer from the European Commission in the European Union, the US FDA, as well as the MFDS in South Korea.

Rivoceranib was developed by Advenchen Laboratories in Southern California under the designation YN968D1. The compound was exclusively licensed to Hengrui in China (2005) and LSKB (2007) for rest of the world.

About Camrelizumab (SHR-1210)

Camrelizumab (SHR-1210) is an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody recognizing the programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor. Camrelizumab functions as an immune checkpoint inhibitor by specifically blocking the interaction between PD-1 and PD-L1 and reversing the immunosuppressive signal of PD-1 on the T cell. Approximately 20 clinical trials on camrelizumab in multiple indications including lung cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, lymphoma, melanoma and other advanced solid tumors are being conducted in China and Australia as monotherapy or in combination with other therapeutic agents. A marketing application for camrelizumab for relapsed/refractory classic Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was submitted by Hengrui to China NMPA, which was accepted in April 2018, and is currently under review.